Talking Buffalo

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews the newest Buffalo Bills beat reporter in the Western New York area.  Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com/NYup.com joins the podcast for a wide-ranging interview over the course of nearly an hour.

While most sports journalist know what they want to do with their life from a young age and work relentlessly at school to achieve it, Parrino speaks candidly about a completely different path.  He didn’t his sights set on becoming a journalist when he was younger and frankly was a pretty lousy student, so much so in fact that he actually dropped out of high school and settled for his G.E.D.  Things began to change in his mid-20’s and he would ultimately find himself as the editor at the University at Buffalo Spectrum.  Parrino talks about how that was a turning point in what eventually would become his career.

After spending some time at the Buffalo News as an intern and a stint at the now defunct Tonawanda News, Parrino remembers his big break when he landed a digital content job in the world of the UFC, a job that would see him move with his wife out to Las Vegas.  Parrino talks about working for the UFC and dishes on Dana White, Connor McGregor, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey.

As much as he enjoyed living in Vegas and working for the UFC, when the chance came to move back home to Western New York and work full time covering the Bills it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.  He discusses that process and some of the things he’s seen early at Bills camp, including in-depth thoughts on Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds and Lesean McCoy.

This is a great early opportunity for Bills fans to get know a guy who will be entrenched in covering the team. You can follow Matt on Twitter at (@MattParrino)

Immediately after that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@TonePucks) for their weekly “Pat with Pucks” segment.  Today the pair talk chicken wings and subsequent Twitter backlash over liking two of Western New York’s long-time favorites. They also discuss the start of Bills training camp including thoughts on the quarterbacks, offensive line and wide receiver positions as well as examining what, if any distraction a few off-field incidents may have on the team, and wrap up by talking about the potential pitfalls and dangers of being an official today in the world of youth and high school sports.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran gives Buffalo Bills fans a fond stroll down memory lane in landing a wide-ranging interview with popular former wide receiver Don Beebe.

Naturally, plenty of time is spent with Beebe talking about the golden era of Buffalo Bills football as the team went to four straight Super Bowls. Beebe shares his initial feelings about Jim Kelly, getting destroyed in his first professional practice by Nate Odomes, how he rose up the team’s depth chart and the personal devastation he felt after a broken ankle suffered against the Miami Dolphins in late 1990 forced him to be sidelined for Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants.

Of course, Beebe’s most famous for tracking down defender Leon Lett and stripping the ball from him just as Lett was about to cross the goal line for a touchdown in Buffalo’s Super Bowl XXVII blowout 52-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.  Beebe talks about what that moment meant to him immediately as it happened, after the game when owner Ralph Wilson addressed him in the locker room and what it’s done for his life and career in the years that have followed.

Among other things a coach, motivational speaker and author, Beebe discusses his book titled “Six Rings From Nowhere” and what the inspiration was for doing it.  You can purchase his book on his website at www.donbeebe.com.

The two also spend time talking about the current Bills roster, the draft process when Beebe was selected in third-round in 1989, the legendary Kelly post game parties at his house, his thoughts on the city of Buffalo and much more!

Immediately after that, Joe (@Buffalowins) joins for a “Run-In With Joe” segment.  He and Moran discuss Beebe, why so many people think the Bills are going to be one of the league’s worst teams in 2018 and also talk a little WWE/Summerslam.

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On this first-ever Tuesday episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran is joined by one of the most accomplished, respected and well liked NFL insiders in the industry.  Josina Anderson of ESPN joins the podcast for a wide ranging interview covering both her career and plenty of her life.

Seemingly from the time she was born and definitely by the time she reached high school in Silver Spring (Maryland), being involved in sports became Anderson’s destiny.  Josina talks about growing up in a very strong and intelligent family and how that rubbed off on her as a youth. Anderson may bleed Tar Heel Blue but reveals in this interview how she nearly went to arch rival Duke for college.

Anderson talks about her path and struggles  after college that came along the way during her eventual journey to ESPN, from her first post-college job all the way in Coos Bay, Oregon back to the Washington D.C. area and having to do personal training work to make ends meet before landing a job in Denver that really launched her career.

Anderson ( @JosinaAnderson) talks about her time at those jobs as well as what led to her getting an opportunity at ESPN and the role her friend and colleague Adam Schefter played in it.  She also talks about several sports media topics both deep and lighthearted and hammers home the significance of developing and maintaining trust in her line of work.

Of course, there’s football to be discussed and Anderson gives her take on the Lesean McCoy situation, Josh Allen, Le’Veon Bell, the team most likely to knock off New England in the AFC and a far too early Super Bowl prediction.

This was a really fun and informative long form interview that covers a lot of the ground with one of the very best and most recognizable names in the business today—a must listen for all football and sports media fans!

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran is joined by WGR-550 sports talk radio host Jeremy White for a wide ranging interview.

White talks about growing up outside of Syracuse, becoming an Orange fan at a very young age and deciding on Cuse’ for college in the 11th hour over Ithaca.

After school he eventually landed a permanent job at WGR and initially worked in a variety of roles. That changed in late 2004 when Howard Simon came over from WNSA and White moved from an evening slot with Brad Riter to being paired with Simon on the morning show.  Nearly 14 years later the duo remain together and White discusses what that partnership has been like and why he thinks it’s worked for so long.

White also gives his takes on a downtown Buffalo stadium, local media, how he feels about sports writing, Twitter and plenty more.

Unsurprisingly there’s plenty of Buffalo Bills and Sabres talks to be had as well.  It’s pretty obvious by his comments White didn’t agree with the Bills decision to select Josh Allen over Josh Rosen this past April and because of a lack of adding weapons during the offseason, White thinks the Bills offense is in big trouble for 2018.  On the Sabres side of things White gives his thoughts on the Ryan O’Reilly trade, rehashes some tank memories and talks about a particular Sabres player on the roster he likes more than most others.

As with each featured guest, the interview ends with a little mini-lighting round, and we learn that White’s very well-traveled, credits a video game for helping him discover his love for soccer and reveals the three dinner guests from any era he’d love to have at his table.

You can follow Jeremy White on Twitter at (@WGRjeremy) and listen to him along with all WGR programming and content by going to the WGR website.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran gets the opportunity to interview one of his favorite basketball point guards of all-time.  As a teenager Moran wanted to be the next Kenny Anderson, but he’ll settle for having the former hoops legend as the featured guest on this podcast.

Born in Queens, Anderson was a basketball prodigy from the time he first picked up a ball and started playing. By the time he was in sixth grade there were already colleges interested in him, and at Archbishop Molloy he became the consensus number-one high school player and recruit in the country. A four-time, all-city player (something only Lew Alcindor also accomplished in New York City) and Parade All-American player, Anderson heavily considered going to Syracuse as well as Duke and North Carolina but ultimately chose Georgia Tech at the urging of his mother.

After two stellar seasons and a Final Four appearance as a Yellow Jacket, Anderson entered the NBA draft in 1991 and was the second overall pick. He played in the league for 14 years, was an all-star and made tens of millions on the court.

Of the court, Anderson’s life is and was anything but perfect. He has and continues to battle demons, many of them that chronicled in a fascinating documentary available via Amazon called “Mr. Chibbs.”

Anderson talks with Moran about his entire hoops career from childhood through the NBA, speaks on a few current NBA topics and tells everyone why he felt it was important to have the Mr. Chibbs documentary made.

You can follow Anderson on Twitter (@Chibbs_1) and see the Mr. Chibbs Documentary via Amazon.

Immediately after that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for another “Pat with Pucks” segment. It’s worth noting this segment was taped right before the Lesean McCoy allegations surfaced last Tuesday.  They’re reviewing (last week’s guest) Joe Buscaglia’s Top 20 Bills Talents, discussing the Bills playoff odds in Vegas, and Moran surprises Pucks with a Mini Lightning Round for him, the segment typically reserved for featured guests aka guests that matter.

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On this really cool episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran finally tracks down one of a handful of guests he’s wanted on since launching the podcast around five months ago.  WKBW-TV sports director, Buffalo Bills beat reporter and Bills Beat podcast co-host Joe Buscaglia joins Moran for a wide ranging interview.

It’s one of those deep dive type of conversations as Moran gives fans of Buscaglia an opportunity to get to know the man many consider one of, if not the best Bills beat reporter in the industry today.

Going all the way back to the beginning, Joe B. talks about growing up in Western New York and being obsessed with sports from a very young age and in unorthodox ways.   He went to St. Francis high school in Hamburg before embarking on a journey down to Florida State College to continue his education.  Not having the journalism program he was looking for, Buscaglia came back north after two years, transferred to Buffalo State College and the rest was history.

However, it wasn’t an overnight success. Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) was only a part-time producer at WGR-550 after college while working a job at Key Bank to make ends meet.  He was close to moving on from aspirations of sports journalism when he caught a break. He’d go on to become a Bills beat reporter for WGR and eventually the sideline reporter during Bills games on live radio, which is where he started to make a big name for himself.

In 2015 Buscaglia made the move to television, joining WKBW-TV.  He’s now the station’s sports director and Bills beat reporter.

He talks about that journey each step of the way as well his thoughts on several media topics and the hugely popular Bills Beat podcast he co-hosts with Matthew Fairburn.

Of course, they spend some time talking Buffalo Bills football. Buscaglia discusses Sean McDermott, Tremaine Edmunds’ ceiling as a rookie, Lesean McCoy’s place among the Bills all-time greats (NOTE: this segment was taped before allegations against McCoy arose) and reveals a guy he thinks can be the pleasant surprise of training camp.

This is an excellent, must-listen episode for Bills fans that features one of the true rising stars in the sports media business.

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Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews brand new The Athletic (Buffalo) hockey writer John Vogl.  For the first time since making headlines by leaving The Buffalo News, Vogl speaks on-air for the first time.  Additionally, this marks Vogl’s first podcast appearance ever!

After spending the past 16 seasons covering the Buffalo Sabres at The News, Vogl was the first domino to fall in the recent purge of the sports department when he accepted a buyout.  In the coming days and weeks several prominent members of the department decided to leave as well, spanning a variety of ways. Vogl planned to take the summer off and “relax on the water” but those plans quickly changed when The Athletic came calling. Within days of his announced departure from TBN, Vogl signed on for the new job.

Just as he was the first to leave the Buffalo News, he was the first to climb on board with The Athletic’s brand new Buffalo division.  Before long the online subscription-based site added eight more writers to the Buffalo team.

Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) documents his version of the story, including the reasons he decided it was time to move on from TBN and what it was about The Athletic that was attractive to him.

We also discuss Vogl’s growing up in Western New York and eventually attending Buffalo State College.  It may be a surprise to learn Vogl wasn’t always destined to be a sports journalist and didn’t exactly bear a resemblance to a model academic student.  He talks about what led to things turning around for him and ultimately embarking on what’s been a fantastic career covering the NHL.

Vogl also talks Sabres hockey, his fondness for WWE and of course goes through the “Mini Lightning Round” to reveal his favorite city to visit, sports movie, twitter follow and three people he’d love to break bread with.

Immediately after that Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) pops by for a “Pat with Pucks” segment. Pucks and Moran talk about Sabres superstar Jack Eichel switching jersey numbers, their feelings on fans and jerseys, discuss a recent podcast guest’s prediction that the Buffalo Bills will have the worst record in the NFL this season and much more.

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On this belated Independence Day episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews one of the best defensive ends to play in the NFL over the past 25 years.  Former 1995 St. Louis Rams first-round draft pick Kevin Carter, 27th on the NFL’s all-time sacks list joins the podcast for a wide-ranging interview.

Going all the way back to the start, Carter talks about growing up in Florida and not being allowed to play tackle football until he got to high school. It didn’t take him or his coaches long to see he was a superstar in the making and despite the late start, he became one of Tallahassee’s hottest college recruits.  He talks about choosing to stay in-state for college at the University of Florida despite coming close, very close to going to Notre Dame to play under Lou Holtz.

Following a stellar college career that saw his Gators win the SEC three times, Carter became a hot draft prospect.  He talks about that entire process including the draft, one that saw him go not just in the first round to the St. Louis Rams but sixth overall and the first defensive player off the board.

Going to St. Louis was certainly an adjustment for Carter, as the Rams were pitiful in the mid-90s.  That started to change in his third year when legendary head coach Dick Vermeil came aboard.   The pinnacle of Carter’s individual and team accomplishments came together in 1999 when he led the entire NFL with 17 sacks while his Rams finished 13-3 and went on defeat Tennessee in the Super Bowl.

Carter also talks candidly about why things turned for him after Vermeil retired and Mike Martz took over, which eventually led to a trade to Tennessee and the opportunity to play alongside a man he considered the toughest he’s ever played against, Steve McNair.

He also spends time talking at length about what it was like to play for Nick Saban in Miami for two years and Jon Gruden for two years in Tampa as his career wound down.

Of course, no Moran-Alytics Podcast interview is complete without a “Mini Lightning Round” of questions and Carter reveals such things as his favorite city to visit, what his favorite hobby is, the one person he must follow on Twitter and three guests from any era he’d most like to break bread with.

This is an outstanding interview with one of the era’s great defensive linemen!

Follow Kevin Carter on Twitter (@kevincarter_93) and check out his website, including charitable foundation information at http://kevin-carter.com

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Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews Sports Illustrated and MMQB National Football Writer Jonathan Jones.

A native of North Carolina, Jones talks about growing up in the Tar Heel State and attending the University of North Carolina. Jones eventually became the sports editor of his college newspaper and managed a staff of 25. He talks about how the gig helped prepare him for his professional career.

From there Jones (@jjjones9) went on to cover the Carolina Panthers for the Charlotte Observer.  Jones talks about his time covering the team, ranging from being intimidated early on in as a 23-year old reporter in the locker room to covering the Panthers when they went to the Super Bowl in 2015.  He also talks about his relationship with Cam Newton and how things changed during the process.

Jones also discusses how his opportunity at Sports Illustrated came out, why he took the job, his teammate at SI and previous Moran-Alytics Podcast guest Jenny Vrentas, and life at SI without Peter King.

At some point the two actually getting around to talking some current football.  Jones gives his thoughts on if Tyrod Taylor is really locked in to begin 2018 as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback and defends his reasoning for picking the Buffalo Bills to finish dead-last in the NFL standings this year.

Immediately after that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for their “Pat with Pucks” segment. The two talk about the Buffalo Sabres roster after trading away Ryan O’Reilly, trading for Connor Sheary and signing goaltender Carter Hutton as their significant moves over the past week. How much improvement, if any should fans expect this season after finishing dead-last in the NHL standings three of the past five years?

The two also talk NBA free agency including Lebron James taking his talents to Los Angeles and Paul George staying in Oklahoma City, reveal unpopular opinions and give special shout outs.

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Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews Sal Maiorana, long-time Democrat  & Chronicle beat reporter for the Buffalo Bills.

A Buffalo native who spent much of his childhood growing up in nearby Syracuse, Maiorana talks about admiring Bob McAdoo, Gilbert Perrault and OJ Simpson as a young kid and knowing he wanted to someday become a sports writer when he was only in sixth grade. It was a journey that started to come to fruition when he attended Buffalo State College and landed an intern gig stringing Buffalo Sabres games for the Associated Press.

After college Maiorana eventually landed a job at the Democrat & Chronicle. Originally hired as a golf writer, Sal also started covering the Bills beat in 1990.  Ironically it was the same year the Bills would play in their first of four consecutive Super Bowls —-not a bad way to start your NFL beat writing career.  Sal talks about covering that first Super Bowl and the immediate anguish he felt after Buffalo lost.

They also spend time discussing sports media, including Sal’s take on the balance between friendship and competition among his colleagues, why the game has changed because of guys like Adam Schefter, and his opinion on everything that’s happened at The Buffalo News.

An author of several books, they spend time talking about a few specifically and Patrick’s surprised to learn Sal incorporated fictional characters into some of his historical perspective novels.

Of course, Sal spends plenty of time talking about the Bills, including his thoughts on what he perceives as the ridiculousness of OTA’s, how patient the Bills will be with Josh Allen and discusses a former first-rounder who could find his roster spot in jeopardy this summer.

The interview wraps up with some random topics.  Sal reveals his favorite sports movie and city to visit, the one person he’d follow on Twitter if he were only allowed to follow one, and lists the three people dead or alive he’d love to have dinner with.

You can follow Sal Maiorana on Twitter (@salmaiorana), read his work at the Democrat & Chronicle here and check out all of the books he’s authored on Amazon right here.

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Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page.

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